1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic heads that are utilized with thin film hard disk data storage devices, and more particularly to the design and fabrication of a magnetic head having a storage media heating device formed therein, where a magnetic pole of the magnetic head serves as an electrical lead of the heating device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hard disk drives generally include one or more rotatable data storage disks having a magnetic data storage layer formed thereon. Data in the form of small magnetized areas, termed magnetic data bits, is written onto the magnetic layers of the disks by a magnetic head that includes magnetic poles through which magnetic flux is caused to flow. Magnetic flux flowing from a pole tip portion of the magnetic poles in close proximity to the magnetic layer on the disk, causes the formation of the magnetic bits within the magnetic layer.
The continual quest for higher data recording densities of the magnetic media demands smaller magnetic data bit cells, in which the volume of recording material (grains) in the cells is decreased and/or the coercivity (Hc) is increased. When the bit cell size is sufficiently reduced, the problem of the superparamagnetic limit will provide a physical limit of the magnetic recording areal density. Present methods to delay the onset of this limit in storage media include the use of higher magnetic moment materials, and using thermally assisted recording heads. The present invention relates to such thermally assisted recording heads in which a heating device is disposed within the magnetic head. Heat from the heating device temporarily reduces the localized coercivity of the magnetic media, such that the magnetic head is able to record data bits within the media. Once the disk returns to ambient temperature, the very high coercivity of the magnetic media provides the bit latency necessary for the recorded data disk.
The fabrication of such heating devices within magnetic heads necessarily involves a plurality of fabrication steps that are required to fabricate a heating element as well as the electrical leads that convey current to the heating element. Each additional fabrication step adds unwanted complexity and expense to the head fabrication process. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to reduce the number of heating device fabrication steps by utilizing existing magnetic head structures, such as the magnetic poles, as one or both of the electrical leads to the heating element.